Elon Musk, the world’s first trillionaire, has announced he is pursuing legal action against German public broadcaster ZDF over a segment he claims misrepresented his role in Belfast riots.
Musk posted his intentions on his social network X, writing, “Legal action is being taken against ZDF for their outrageous lies.”
The ZDF report in question aired on its online news program ZDFheute live as a half-hour segment examining violent unrest that gripped Northern Ireland.
Belfast experienced nights of riots after a high-profile stabbing incident in which the suspect, a migrant from Sudan, was charged with attempted murder.
Hundreds of rioters took to the streets going door-to-door, shouting “Foreigners get out” while setting cars, homes, and businesses on fire.
The protests were encouraged by British far-right extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, as well as Restore UK founder Rupert Lowe.
Musk shared posts from both figures to his 240 million followers on X, and on June 9 added his own message: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”
Three days later, a ZDF anchor introduced its segment by stating, “A racist mob went on a hunt for migrants,” adding that the unrest “was called for by a British right-wing extremist and tech millionaire Elon Musk.”
The 28-second clip was then shared on X by Julian Reichelt, a right-wing journalist and former editor-in-chief of German tabloid-style newspaper Bild, who was fired in 2021 after reports of misconduct toward female employees.
Reichelt, who called for ZDF to be “dismantled,” subsequently shared a screenshot that he presented as a formal response from the broadcaster.
In that apparent response, ZDF defended the overall report but conceded that the anchor’s language was “imprecise” and “misleading.”
The statement read: “The host intended to succinctly summarize the complex situation surrounding the violent protests and the prior calls for protests on X at the beginning of the very comprehensive and nuanced 30-minute program. However, the wording chosen was imprecise and therefore misleading.”
ZDF also clarified the distinction between Musk’s and Robinson’s actions, stating, “Tommy Robinson had called for protests. Elon Musk had shared the call to protest.”
ZDF, which stands for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen or Second German Television, is one of two nationwide public networks in Germany, funded largely through television license fees.
The dispute highlights growing tension between Musk and European media institutions, as his influence over political discourse through X continues to expand across the continent.
